SYRACUSE, N.Y.–It’s been nearly a half century since Ernie Davis became the first Black to win the Heisman Trophy. If the story of his all-too-brief, but powerful life has dimmed over the decades since his untimely death, it’s about to b
SYRACUSE, N.Y.–It’s been nearly a half century since Ernie Davis became the first Black to win the Heisman Trophy. If the story of his all-too-brief but powerful life has dimmed over the decades since his untimely death, it’s about to be resurrected on the silver screen.
Universal Pictures debuted "The Express" on Friday night in a world premiere at the Landmark Theatre in downtown Syracuse, where Davis often went while he was a student. The movie is based on the 1983 biography Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, by Robert C. Gallagher. Davis is played by Rob Brown, who bears an uncanny likeness to the former star running back, and Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder is played by Dennis Quaid.
The movie, which deals heavily with the relationship between the coach and Davis, is powerful from the opening minute, poignantly depicting the racism of the day.
Davis was born in 1939, in New Salem, Pa. His parents separated shortly after his birth, and he grew up in poverty in Uniontown, a coal-mining town 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, where he was raised by his grandparents.
At age 12, Davis moved to live with his mother in Elmira, N.Y., and it was there that he emerged as a star. He became a high school All-American in football and basketball.
More than 30 colleges, including UCLA and Notre Dame, recruited Davis to play football, but Syracuse, just 90 miles to the north, had an advantage. Jim Brown, the first in a line of star running backs to play for Schwartzwalder and the man who began the legend of No. 44 at Syracuse, had graduated in 1956, and Schwartzwalder asked him to help recruit Davis.
Brown had endured countless racist taunts, too, while playing for Syracuse, a virtually all-white school at the time.
As a freshman and one of only three blacks on the team, Davis listened to the “white girl speech” (no dating allowed) and even endured his share of racist taunts from teammates. And he knew he was in the spotlight.
“Everybody is watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake,” Davis says in the film.
Davis’ stature on campus changed his sophomore year in 1959, his first year as a starter.
He rushed for a team-high 686 yards and scored 10 touchdowns to power the Orange to a 10-0 record, the nation’s No. 1 ranking, and a Cotton Bowl showdown with No. 2- ranked Texas. AP
______
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
About Post Author
